What fallacy is present in the claim: 'Our competitor’s environmental study must be fraudulent because their chief scientist attended a low-ranked university'?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Ad hominem
- Step 1: Analyze the basis of the critique: attacking the scientist's educational pedigree rather than addressing the study's data.
- Step 2: An ad hominem fallacy attacks the person making an argument rather than evaluating the substantive validity of the evidence.
Answer
Ad hominem.
Why not the others: Slippery slope predicts a catastrophic chain of events; Hasty generalization draws conclusions from tiny samples; Bandwagon appeals to popular consensus.
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